Footwear and garments are typically provided with zipper, button, or lace fasteners to join together separable portions of the footwear or garments after they have been placed on the human body. For example, one would use a zipper fastener in an application where concerns are ease and speed in joining together the separable portions and there is no need for adjustability, and one would use a lace fastener when it is desired to adjust the distance between the separable portions.
Noack U.S. Pat. No. 215,286 discloses a quick shoe-lacing mechanism in which the lace is threaded through sliders on side tracks. When the lace is pulled, the sliders move up the tracks and cause two shoe pieces to move together. The ends of the lace are then secured in clasps.